WHAT IS IT?New for 2017 – teams in each league will draft 5-player minor league rosters, drawing from players appearing on the Prospects list for the appropriate major league. To qualify for the Prospects list, a player must appear on the spring training roster of a major league team AND have had no pitching or fielding appearances in the major leagues in 2016. The minor league roster may consist of any five qualified players – there are no position restrictions or requirements. Salaries of these players are determined by the round in which they are selected, unless the player has been frozen on the minor league roster from the previous season. Players chosen in Round 1 will have a salary of $5; Round 2 players will have a salary of $4, and so on.

HOW DO WE GET PLAYERS?Minor league players will be chosen in what will function effectively as an offline draft. Teams in each Mocksports league will draft in auction order (i.e., in reverse order of the previous season’s standings). To draft a player, team owners will post in the appropriate Mocksports league forum; the post must identify the drafting team, the player’s name and the major league organization to which that player belongs; for example: SECTION 431 drafts Christian Walker CIN. (The schedule for each league’s draft has been posted in the various league forums.)

Owners who currently have players on their roster who appear on the Prospects list for their league may choose one of three options for that player for 2017.1) The player may be frozen on the major league active list (i.e., frozen for the league auction) at his rollover salary (2016 auction price + $4).2) The player may be frozen on the minor league roster. The owner must designate which draft slot (#1, #2, #3, #4, or #5) the frozen player will occupy; the player’s salary will be the higher of his 2016 auction (NOT rollover) salary or the salary associated with his minor league roster slot.3) The player may be allowed to return to the free agent pool for the 2017 minor league draft.

WHAT IF I MISS MY DRAFT WINDOW? - Note the revision to this section!If an owner misses his time window for a draft pick, he may choose a player at any time after that period. Players are available on a first-come, first-served basis; the owner choosing in the next time window does not have priority for his choice. Owners who anticipate not being able to make a timely post may either send their selection to the League Administrator in advance for posting or may publicly designate another Mocksports owner to post selections for them. (Owners should, in either case, provide their designee with multiple player options in case the desired player is chosen by another team in the league.)

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE SEASON?Minor league players may be traded (either as part of a trade involving major and minor leaguers or as part of a minor league only transaction). Minor league players may be waived (without replacement); this transaction is NOT considered a charge. Minor league players may be activated, if they are activated to the major leagues by their MLB team. If a minor league player is activated by his major league team during the regular season, he may be (but is not required to be) activated by his Mocksports owner. (Autowaivers DO NOT APPLY to players while they are on a minor league roster.) In order to activate a player, another player currently active on the Mocksports major league roster must be reserved or waived (i.e., roster balance must be maintained). Players activated to the major league roster retain their minor league salary; their salaries count against the salary cap upon activation. Whether the player is activated or remains on the minor league roster, he retains his draft salary. Players activated from the minor league roster may not be replaced on that roster until the next season’s draft unless the team acquires a minor league player via trade. Activated minor league players may NOT be demoted back to the minor league roster during the current season. If they become inactive in the major leagues, they must be reserved or waived.

WHAT ABOUT NEXT YEAR?Minor leaguers may be retained on their Mocksports team’s 2018 minor league roster if they had fewer than 20 at-bats or 5 appearances as a pitcher in the 2017 MLB season AND were not activated in 2017 by their Mocksports owner. If the player was activated or if their MLB appearances exceed the limits above, they must be either frozen (or topped) for 2018 or allowed to reenter the free agent pool prior to the 2018 auction. A player frozen to a minor league roster retains his draft slot; the owner may not make a selection for that slot during the next season’s draft. The frozen player’s salary will increase $1 for the new season.